An annotated bibliography of parasitic Isopoda (Crustacea) of Chondrichthyes

“…Numerous species of isopods in the family Cirolanidae, and in related families, are known scavengers and occasional micropredators on fishes (for summaries see Moreira & Sadowsky 1978, Kussakin 1979, Brusca & Iverson 1985. Similarly, ostracod species of the family Cypridinidae have been reported as occasional scavengers or 'biters' or actual parasites on other marine animals (Monod 1923, Harding 1966, Felder 1982, Cohen 1983, Kretzler 1984.…”

Section: Study Site]mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nocturnal attacks on nearshore fishes in southern California by crustacean zooplankton

Stepien¹,

Brusca²

1985

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Adult nearshore fishes in large cages on the seafloor off southern California mysteriously died within 3 to 4 h after sunset. Night diving observations showed that fishes were attacked by swarms of crustacean zooplankton, primarily the luminescent ostracod Vargula tsujii Kornicker & Baker 1977 (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae) and the isopod Clrolana diminuta Menzies 1962 (Cirolanidae), species previously identified as members of the southern California demersal zooplankton assemblage. Experiments using traps baited with live fishes showed that attacks occur year-round on many species of nearshore fishes, in both sandy and rocky habitats, and on adults of both sexes more frequently than on juveniles. Ostracods were attracted to fishes first, attaching to their sides and opercula, but not alone causing serious injury. Cirolanid isopods later invaded the traps and were responsible for the fish deaths, usually through extensive gill damage. Both ostracods and isopods often invaded the gills, and also often entered the body cavity through the anus, consuming gonads and liver. Laboratory maze experiments showed that ostracods are attracted to chemicals released from sexually mature fishes and by their own bioluminescence. Isopods are attracted to chemicals released by injured fishes, thus they may preferentially attack fishes initially injured by ostracods. V. tsujii also clustered around unrestrained fishes at night in situ; fishes resting near the seafloor periodically shook off the ostracods and sometimes moved to other locations when surrounded by large numbers. Other fishes apparently avoid the ostracods by swimming higher into the water column, burying themselves in sand, or hiding in rock crevices. Emergent crustacean zooplankton may significantly influence nocturnal versus diurnal distributions and behavior of nearshore fishes. Surveys of commercial fishermen indicated that crustacean zooplankton also cause extensive damage to fishes caught in gill nets, often rendering a significant percentage of a catch unmarketable. Evolutionary and ecological aspects of the phenomenon are discussed.

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“…Cheung & Nigrelli (1983) rediscovered this parasite (as N. ruggierii; see synonymy of Chisholm 1994) and described the skin-infecting monogenoid Dermophthirioides pristidis Cheung & Nigrelli 1983 (Microbothriidae) from smalltooth sawfish collected in the Florida Keys. There are a few, brief mentions of the isopods Livoneca ovalis (Say, 1818) (sometimes as Lironeca ovalis) and Nerocila acuminata Schiödte & Meinert, 1881 (Cymothoidae) infecting unspecified sawfish (Moreira & Sadowsky 1978); however, empirical data are wanting, and a single listing from a venerable monograph on isopods (Richardson 1905) seems the likely source of later listings until the present study. Hutton (1964) anecdotally reported metacercariae of the trematode Scaphanocephalus expansus (Creplin, 1842) as a parasite of the smalltooth sawfish from the eastern Gulf of Mexico near Tarpon Springs, Florida.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Parasite component community of smalltooth sawfish off Florida: diversity, conservation concerns, and research applications

Bakenhaster¹,

Bullard²,

Curran³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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Compared with that of other charismatic elasmobranchs, the component community of metazoan parasites infecting endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata is exceedingly poorly characterized: adults of Dermophthirioides pristidis and Neoheterocotyle inpristi (ectoparasitic flatworms of skin and gill, respectively) were the only confirmed parasites prior to the description, based on specimens reported herein, of Mycteronastes caalusi. Our opportune and directed parasitological examinations of 290 smalltooth sawfish (277 live inspections; 13 necropsies; 671 to 2640 mm stretch total length) in south Florida coastal waters revealed at least 8 species of Platyhelminthes, 9 of Arthropoda, 4 of Annelida, and 1 of Nematoda. This collection includes representatives of an undescribed species of Aporocotylidae (Digenea) and myriad new host records, considerably updating and advancing our understanding of smalltooth sawfish symbionts. We also confirm that D. pristidis and N. inpristi are extant and propose D. pristidis as a reliable biological tag. Some of these parasites are evidently highly host-specific and so vulnerable to extinction.

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An annotated bibliography of parasitic Isopoda (Crustacea) of Chondrichthyes

Cited by 23 publications

References 6 publications

Livoneca sinuata (Crustacea; Isopoda; Cymothoidae) on Loligo vulgaris from Turkey, and unusual cymothoid associations

Livoneca sinuata (Crustacea; Isopoda; Cymothoidae) on Loligo vulgaris from Turkey, and unusual cymothoid associations

Nocturnal attacks on nearshore fishes in southern California by crustacean zooplankton

Parasite component community of smalltooth sawfish off Florida: diversity, conservation concerns, and research applications

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